


Christmas Present

by zeilfanaat



Category: Doc (TV)
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-01-07
Updated: 2008-01-07
Packaged: 2018-03-04 02:05:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2905292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeilfanaat/pseuds/zeilfanaat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone at Westbury goes elsewhere or has plans for Christmas, except for Nancy. When Clint finds out, he invites her to come with him to Montana, and she accepts.</p><p>Written for the 2007 Christmas Challenge of i2Eye Fan Forum.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Time line is that of 2004, since I’m assuming everything up to the episode “Wake-Up Call” happened. After that, I hadn’t seen any episodes, so as far as this story is concerned, they hadn’t happened.

**_Wednesday, 22nd of December, 2004_ **

The reception at Westbury clinic was busy. Patients needed to get their prescription updated, and all the backlogs in paperwork were to be handed in by the end of the week, in order to finish the year.

By the end of the week, because not many people wanted to work in between Christmas and New Year. Luckily, it was almost the end of the day, so the staff could take a breather. They did, and soon most of the staff was gathered in the coffee area. 

Wearily, Nancy let herself flop into a chair, a filled coffee mug in front of her. Doctor Derek Hebert did the same in the other chair at the table, and Ms. DeWitt filled the thus far empty third chair. Doctor Oliver Crane had dragged himself to the coffee corner a few minutes earlier, and had situated himself at the opposite table. Tippy made herself some tea, and leaned back against the kitchen sink. 

“Ooph,” Tippy said, to no one in particular. “Why is this period always so hectic?” 

“Oh, no special reason, except that we have to end the financial year, start a new one, all the paperwork needs to be up-to-date, everyone wants to go into the holidays without the stress of having some stuff to do before New Year, only those kind of things,” doctor Crane listed, but even his voice was not as cutting as it usually was. He just couldn’t muster the energy. It was a tired group that was sitting there, staring at each other, wondering how they would ever end up at home. That’s when they heard cheerful whistling, and soon doctor Clint Cassidy rounded the corner. At the sight of everyone hanging exhausted in their seats, he halted, and looked around at the faces. Each and every one of them was looking at him with a mix of exhaustion, distant curiosity, and disbelief. 

“Did I miss something?” Clint asked, wondering if perhaps he had fallen asleep and was now experiencing a strange dream. 

“Eh, eh, eh, just how come you’re so… cheerful and awake?” Derek finally asked. Then it dawned on the Montana doctor. “Ah, so that’s what’s going on. The last miles of the year, and all everyone wants to do is to just be done with it, and go home. Right?” 

“Yeah. The keyword being ‘everyone’… so why aren’t you?” Nancy asked, leaning forward, a bit more awake, now that there was a puzzle. Clint smiled. “Why would I be?”

“Well, I know for a fact that you still have paperwork to do, and you still have a couple of patients to see today…” Nancy started to list, and Tippy interjected, “And your schedule for the next two days is completely packed as well.” Nancy made a gesture. “There you go.”

Clint chuckled, and he moved over to the coffee pot, and poured himself a mug. He leaned against the counter, next to Tippy and looked at his fellow workers. “Now let’s see. Most of the paperwork I did this morning; I’ll only have to finish one more form, and the files of the patients I still have to see. Those I can do during the lunch breaks, and before my first patients in the morning. Basically the most intensive part will be to examine the patients, and that’s the part of my job I like most.” 

He noticed there were still some sceptical looks directed his way, and he added, “Besides, I was just able to send Elise Senders home before Christmas.” 

“The girl with the removed appendix?” Nancy asked, brightening. Clint nodded. “That’s the one.” 

“Ah, well, then it’s no wonder you were whistling,” Tippy said, scrunching up her nose and smiling, as she remembered how the girl had worried about not being able to be home for Christmas. Clint shrugged. “Even so, in three days time, it’s Christmas.” 

Donna smiled. “You’re right, doctor Cassidy. I’m quite looking forward to that day. Brian is actually feeling quite well, and we figured we’d take Emma to Walt Disney.” 

“Aw, that’s such a nice thing to look forward to!” Tippy said. “For how long?”

“Oh,” Donna said, waving it off, but smiling nonetheless. “Just for two days. But it will be nice seeing them again. How about you guys? Anything planned?” 

Tippy blushed, and bit her lip. “Well, actually, Steven and I are going away for a couple of days. Sort of as a honeymoon, since we didn’t have one when we married.” 

“Wow, Tippy! That’s great!” Nancy exclaimed, and the others nodded and smiled as they remembered the rushed wedding. Clint and Nancy exchanged a look, remembering how they had been the only ones present, because the rest had been stuck in traffic. The wedding had unexpectedly moved up a couple of days since Steven had been suddenly deployed, and had had to leave within two hours. So, as the four people were still at the clinic, Clint had called in the help of the hospital preacher, and Nancy had helped Tippy prepare. Of course, Tippy being Tippy, when she had been about to throw the flowers over her shoulder, she’d tripped, and had accidentally thrown them in Clint’s direction. The cowboy doctor had caught them, and given them to Nancy. 

Their thoughts were interrupted by doctor Hebert’s comment. “Nellie, Gracie and I are going to visit Nellie’s parents. Oliver, what about you?” Derek asked.

“My wife’s sister and family is coming over. Unlike most years, it will be a nightmare, since they are bringing their kids this time,” Oliver answered, annoyed. “It will probably be reminiscent of the cattle of which doctor Cassidy is so fond.” 

Clint smiled, and shrugged, leaving the comment for what it was. 

“Pray do tell, will you be visiting them, or are they visiting you, and should we evacuate New York?” doctor Crane asked. 

“Don’t you worry Oliver, your ‘cattle’ won’t be mixing with mine. I’m goin’ to Montana for a couple of days.” 

Crane glared at him and rose. “Well, I should get on with my work then, so I can make the most of our ‘Cassidy-free’ days.” With those parting words, he stalked into his office, closing the door. 

Derek sighed, and rose as well. “Much as I don’t agree with his reason, I should also get back to work.”

The others agreed, and walked off. During the conversation though, Clint had noticed that Nancy had been rather quiet, and he held her back. 

“Hey Nance, hold on a minute.” The nurse turned, and waited. “Are you doin’ anything over Christmas?” Clint asked. Nancy shrugged. “Nothing much. Just hang out for a bit, go to the Christmas service in church, maybe grab a book.” She tried to sound cheerful, but failed. Clint’s eyebrows rose. “Aren’t you going to do something with your Dad?”

“Nah, he’s going to visit an old friend of his, who invited him over to Los Angeles.” She shrugged. “I got the feeling he needs a little time for himself, without his daughter living a couple of streets away.”

Clint frowned. “So you’re alone over Christmas?” 

“Well, I might just go and visit some people. Don’t worry about it,” she said with a smile which didn’t quite reach her eyes. Immediately, Clint made a decision.

“Would you like to come with me to Montana? I’m sure Doc Johanson would enjoy seeing you again, and Dottie would love to meet you.”

Nancy was a little taken aback. “No, I can’t just suddenly come along. I’ve only met Doc Johanson once, and I’ve never even seen Dottie. I’ve never been there!”

“Exactly,” Clint replied. “And one person more or less doesn’t make much of a difference for us in Montana.” 

They’d started to slowly walk in the direction of Clint’s office, and the country doctor gently prodded her with his elbow. “Come on, I’ll show you where I grew up. Besides, you don’t _really_ want to sit alone with Christmas, now do you?”

“Are you sure?” Nancy checked hesitantly. Clint nodded, and a wide smile started to spread across Nancy’s smile as she realised she would not only _not_ spend Christmas alone, she would spend it with Clint and his family. “Alright! In that case, I’d love to come.” 

By now they had reached Clint’s office, and they came to a halt. 

“So, when are we leaving? How long did you intend to stay? Anything special I need to pack? How are we getting there?” The questions tumbled from Nancy’s mouth before she could slow them down, but Clint chuckled. 

“Friday, till Thursday, warm clothes, by plane, in that order I believe.” 

Nancy blushed and grinned, smacking him gently on the shoulder. “Alright cowboy. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me too,” Clint agreed. With a parting smile, Nancy turned away, but she stopped short and turned around again. “Hey Clint?”

“Hmm?” He looked up. 

“Thanks.” 

He gave her an affectionate smile which made her feel all warm inside, and said, “You’re very welcome.”

* * *

That night, Clint sat down in the comfortable chair, and pulled his laptop on his lap. 

‘Dear Doc,

How’re you doing?   
I’m doing fine. Looking forward to coming back to Montana. It’s been a while. About four-and-a-half years now.

Hope you don’t mind; I invited Nancy to come along. She would have spent Christmas on her own, since her dad’s out of town. I think it might just be the first Christmas she spends without her dad.

You know, I remember the first Christmas without my dad, when I just started living with you. I wanted to be alone to remember the Christmases with my Mom and Dad. Yet at the same time, I was trying to ignore it was Christmas, so the hurtin’ wouldn’t be so bad. I’m glad you didn’t let me struggle through it on my own.

Well, I’d say, don’t let Dottie worry about getting more food, but I know she will anyway. So give her a hug for me. 

I’ll see you both soon.

Love,

Doc Cassidy’


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thursday, 23rd of December, 2004** _

The next day brought more of the same, with patients coming off and on, and files being updated. At a relatively quiet moment, Nancy seized her opportunity.

“Hey Clint, at what time are we leaving tomorrow?” 

The country doctor looked up from his computer screen, and easily dragged his mind away from Mr. Hemmington’s file, to answer his favourite nurse. “If I remember correctly, the plane leaves at eleven-thirty, but I’d have to check. Say, why don’t you come over for supper tonight? At seven, my place?”

“You cook, I bring dessert?” Nancy offered.

“Deal,” Clint nodded. Nancy smiled, and both got back to work.

* * *

When she knocked on the door at three to seven, she could already smell dinner cooking, and she put her hand on the door knob in anticipation of Clint’s answer.

“It’s open!” Clint called. Rolling her eyes at his predictability, she opened the door, and stepped inside. 

“Hey Cowboy. When are you going to realise you live in the big city?” she asked good-naturedly. 

“Hey Nance,” Clint said, quickly poking his head through the door opening, before once again disappearing into the kitchen. “You got dessert?”

Nancy walked into the kitchen and held up her contribution to dinner. “Ben & Jerry’s ok for you?” she teased. Clint looked up and gave her a look which clearly said, ‘You’re kidding me, right.’ Nancy laughed, and put the ice-cream in the fridge, before leaning past Clint’s shoulder to peer into the pan. 

“Ooh, spaghetti huh?” 

“Yup, I figured, since we’ll have Dottie’s cooking for about a week, we might as well get something less healthy today,” Clint grinned. 

“Hmm, well, if it tastes half as good as it smells, I won’t be able to sleep on my stomach tonight.” 

“Go get yourself a seat. And could you put this on the table? I’m just about done,” Clint handed her a water pitcher, and gently pushed her out of the kitchen. 

“Yes, Sir.” Nancy snapped off a salute, and left the kitchen with a smile. She took off her coat, and sat down at the already set table. A few minutes later, Clint appeared with a pan of spaghetti, and a bowl of fresh salad. They prayed, before diving in.

“So, did you check when we have to be there?” Nancy asked. 

“Yeah, plane leaves eleven-thirty, and because of the holiday-chaos, we have to be there at nine-thirty. Nate will bring us to the airport tomorrow. I just have to head on up later on, to confirm the time, exchange phone numbers, and say goodbye to Bev and the kids.” 

“Good point. Mind if I tag along?”

“Anytime.” 

“Good to know.” Nancy smiled, and looked down at her nearly cleared plate. “Oh, by the way, I wanted to go over to my Dad to wish him well. He’s being picked up by a friend of his later tonight. Want to come?”

“I’d love to. I’m just not going to stay long. I’m on call tonight,” Clint said apologetically. Nancy frowned. “On call? I didn’t think you were on call this week?” 

“I wasn’t. I would have been on call next week, but I traded with doctor Moore.”

“Ah, alright. We won’t make it too late then,” Nancy agreed. After dinner they quickly cleaned the dishes, and headed over to the Jacksons’ apartment. Beverly opened the door. 

“Hey guys, come on in. Nancy, nice of see you too.”

“Yeah, well, since I’m going with Clint for Christmas, and we just had dinner together…” 

“Ah.” Beverly nodded in understanding, and she quickly hid a smile. 

“Hey Nancy, hey Clint,” Raul greeted them from the couch. 

“Hey Raul, what are you doing for Christmas?” Clint asked, sitting next to the boy, while Nancy went on to talk with Beverly.

“Nate’s family is coming to visit.” He quickly glanced around to see if Nate was anywhere within hearing range, and leaned closer to Clint, who copied his movements. “One of the ‘weird uncles’ is coming too. Luckily Nate and Beverly allowed Justin to come over.”

Clint smiled and winked. He looked up to see where Nancy had disappeared to, and saw her walking out of the bedroom, holding Mattie. The little boy had obviously just woken up. Beverly and Nate followed. Clint rose, and greeted Nate. As Beverly and Nancy cooed over the youngest of the two boys, Clint took Nate aside. 

“The Christmas presents from Nancy and me to Raul and Mattie will be on the table in my apartment. You can pick ‘em up whenever you want.”   
The police officer nodded. “Got it. So, I drop you off at nine-thirty tomorrow morning?”

“Yeah. Here’s the number of Doc Johanson, in case you need to reach us and the cell phones aren’t working.” 

Clint handed him a note with the phone number jotted down. 

“Alright. Hey, do you guys want something to drink?”

“No, we’re swinging by Nancy’s dad since he’s leaving tonight.” Nate nodded, having been told of the circumstances. “So, guess we’re going,” Clint continued, glancing towards the blond-haired woman. “Nancy?”

She looked up, and nodded. “Yeah, we should be going.”

Best wishes and hugs were exchanged, since Beverly and the kids wouldn’t be joining them the next morning. Beverly made them promise to call once they’d arrived safely, and Mattie treated both adults to a sloppy kiss. Raul hung back a little, and Clint picked up on his mood. Drawing him away from the rest, Clint sat him down at the kitchen table. 

“You gonna be ok?” 

He knew that there were a couple of times in a year, that Raul really missed his mother: his birthday, his mother’s birthday, the day his mother died, and Christmas. For the past years, ever since Raul had come to live with the Jacksons, there was always a small moment during those days, that Raul sought out Clint’s company. Sometimes they talked, sometimes they remained quiet. This would be the first time Clint wouldn’t be home on one of those days.

“Yeah.” Raul nodded, looking at the floor. After a pause, he asked quietly, “Can’t I come with you?” 

Clint sighed. “You know we can’t do that. Nate and Beverly would love to have the family together. But you can always call me, ok?” Raul nodded slowly, but he still didn’t look up. Oh, he knew he couldn’t go with Clint. He didn’t really want to either. It would hurt Nate and Beverly. And he loved his adoptive parents too much to want to cause them any hurt. But, as much as he loved them, those moments with Clint were special, because Clint had known his mother. Well, not really _known_ her, but at he knew what she had looked like, where she had worked and lived, how she’d talked… Nate and Beverly had never even seen her. It was a connection between the doctor and him. It comforted him to know that there was someone else in the world who had known her, and cared for her.

“Besides, you can’t just leave Justin to fend off the crazy uncle all by himself, now can you?”

Clint nudged his young friend, whom he cared for like he’d care for a son, and watched as Raul grinned despite of himself, and then launched himself at the cowboy. The small arms snaked around Clint’s waist, and Clint hugged the boy tightly. Raul looked up with a grateful smile. 

“Thanks Clint. I hope you’ll have a Merry Christmas.” 

“You too, Raul.”

* * *

“Everything alright?” Nancy asked, as they got into Clint’s truck. 

“Yeah, it’s fine now,” Clint said, starting the engine. When he noticed the look Nancy was sending him, he elaborated. “There are a couple of days when Raul is reminded of his mother, and he’ll come and find me. Christmas is one of those days.”

Nancy nodded in understanding. 

“So, do you think your dad will like the present?” Clint changed topics, and indicated the bag Nancy held on her lap. They’d done most of the Christmas shopping together. The doctor wasn’t really into shopping, despite it being Christmas shopping, and the nurse didn’t feel like doing the Christmas shopping alone. Besides, having the car at your disposal was much more comfortable than having to carry shopping bags through New York City. 

“Oh, I know he will,” Nancy smiled broadly. “After all, we picked it.”

* * *

When they returned from having said goodbye to Nancy’s dad, and having waved him off, Clint walked Nancy to her door. “Goodnight, Clint. Let’s hope you won’t be called tonight.” Clint grinned. “Might be nice… for a change.”

“And, thanks for coming along,” she added more seriously. 

“You’re welcome. ‘sides, I like your dad.” He winked at her. “Goodnight, Nancy. See you tomorrow morning.”

As she watched Clint walk to his own apartment across the hall, she mentally sighed. _‘Liking my dad is one thing. What I’d like to know is how much you like me.’_

Abruptly she shook her head. She should stop having these random thoughts about her friend. She wasn’t quite ready to examine them closely yet, so, dismissing the thought, she closed the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Friday, 24th of December, 2004_ **

“Good morning, Nancy!” a bright voice greeted her when she opened the door, and let the doctor in.

“You know it should be illegal to be that cheerful this early?” Nancy grumbled good-naturedly.

“Maybe,” Clint agreed, “but I had a head start.” He closed the door behind him, a duffle bag and his laptop case slung across his shoulder.

“How so?”

“Been awake for a couple of hours.”

“A couple of hours??” Nancy checked the clock and tried to hide a yawn. 

“Got called in a couple of times last night,” Clint explained. “One doctor had gone home sick himself, and the other doctor on call had forgotten to leave his phone switched on. In the end, I figured it would do more harm than good if I went to bed then. So I stayed up.” 

“Wow, rough night then.” She looked at him more closely, and noticed he did look tired. “How much sleep did you get?” 

Clint frowned. “Not much,” he admitted. At Nancy’s look, he chuckled, scrubbed a hand across his face, and replied, “I think about twenty minutes.” 

Nancy felt her eyes widen. “No wonder you’re so chipper. How much coffee have you had?” 

At that, Clint laughed. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. 

“Good morning Nate, sleep well?” 

“Hi Nate,” Nancy said, still grinning. 

“Mornin’ Country, Nancy. All set to go?”

“Yup, as ready as I can be,” Clint answered. Nancy disappeared into her bedroom, and came back with her suitcase and purse. “Ready. Let’s go!”

* * *

They had boarded the plane a while ago, but they still hadn’t taken off. The pilot announced that there was some disagreement between a couple of the workers as to which luggage they had packed into which plane, so that’s what they were checking now. At first, Nancy and Clint had chatted, but the prolonged stay in one position brought the fatigue crashing down, so Clint had fallen asleep a while ago. Nancy had pulled out the book she’d begun reading last night, and every once in a while, she’d look over at the man next to her. She smiled tenderly. 

It wasn’t often that she got to see a sleeping Clint Cassidy. Usually she was the one that fell asleep. But now their roles were reversed and she took her time studying him, briefly wondering whether he did that with her as well, when she was the one to fall asleep.

Clint always had an air of confidence about him. It was one of things that attracted her to him. But when he slept, he seemed more vulnerable. It awakened a strong protective feeling within her, which she’d never felt before. Reaching over to brush away a stray lock of hair from his face, it was becoming more and more clear to her that the feelings she had for this man reached way beyond the friendship they had enjoyed over the past years. 

A stewardess, who had been walking along the seats to see if everyone was alright, leaned over, and asked quietly, “Would you like me to get your husband a blanket, Ma’am?”

Nancy looked up in surprise. “Oh, he’s not my husband.” _‘Yet.’_   
She blinked at her own thoughts. _‘Whoah, take it slow, will ya!_

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry. I just thought…when you pushed his hair from his face…” the stewardess started apologising. Nancy hurried to reassure her. “He’s a co-worker. But you won’t need to bring a blanket. He’d probably just wake up. He’ll be fine like this.” She gave the woman a reassuring smile, and the stewardess seemed to accept it.

“Alright. My apologies once again. But if you don’t mind me saying, you two would look good together.” Nancy blushed, and the stewardess smiled briefly, before she continued to check on the other passengers. Nancy took a deep breath, and slowly let go. Once again, her eyes turned towards her sleeping companion. 

Perhaps it was time she started facing those stray thoughts that had become more frequent lately… Well, one thing she knew for sure, she would have a lot to think about the next few days.

After a while, the pilot announced that the correct luggage had been loaded, so they would be taking off. Nancy checked whether Clint had put his seatbelt on, which he had, and sat back. At least she wouldn’t have to wake him yet. The flight itself went smoothly, and it was only when they were about to land, that Clint woke up. 

“Hi, welcome back to the land of the living. We’re almost there,” Nancy said cheerfully. Clint stared at his watch, then looked up at the woman next to him. “Thanks. Sorry for falling asleep on you,” he apologised. 

“No problem, you obviously needed it. Besides, I had been meaning to start reading this book, so no harm done.” 

Clint nodded, still a bit sleepy. “So, how long did we have to wait?”

“Oh, only forty-five minutes,” Nancy replied. “In total. So you haven’t missed much.” 

Clint shook his head. “Imagine that. I slept more on the plane waiting for it to move than I did in my own bedroom!” 

Nancy chuckled. “I’m sure that’s new for the crew too.” 

They sat in silence for a while, as Clint tried to shake off the tired feeling, and Nancy was immerged in her own thoughts. 

“Hey Clint?” she asked tentatively. 

“Hmm?” Clint asked, looking sideways as he took a sip of water. 

“Are you sure it was such a good idea for me to come along?” 

A blink. Then he realised what the problem might be. She’d never met Dottie, and while she’d met Doc Johanson, she was basically arriving in a completely different environment. This wasn’t New York anymore. “Of course it was. Don’t worry, no one will set loose a bull on you.” 

Nancy grinned. “That’s not really what I’m worried about, although it’s comforting to know.” 

Clint gave her a small reassuring smile, and took her hand. “The folks back home won’t bite. Dottie will love you, and Doc Johanson already does, and those are the important ones.” He winked at her. “Really, there’s nothing to worry about.” 

She sighed. He was right. What could really happen? That the people thought of her as an outsider? She was. But now there was something else nagging at her. Clint had called Hamilton ‘back home’. She knew it shouldn’t have surprised her, but it had. He’d grown up in Montana, so naturally, he would consider it home. It was just that she had sort of assumed, since he had stayed in New York for over four years, that he’d started considering New York as home too. Well, no time to dwell on that now. The plane had started to lose altitude, and a few seconds later they touched down. When they left the plane, Clint walked behind Nancy, keeping a hand at the small of her back. The stewardess of earlier sent Nancy a wink, and the latter was glad that Clint walked behind her, so he couldn’t see the colour rising to her cheeks. 

Luckily they passed through security without any trouble, and they got their luggage relatively quick as well. When they walked through the doors, they immediately spotted the grey-haired doctor, whose face brightened at the sight of them. 

“Clint, boy. Welcome back,” Doc Johanson said, giving the man a tight embrace, before turning towards the woman his adoptive son had brought along. “Nurse Nancy Nichol, welcome to Montana.”

He gave her a hug as well, and preceded them to his truck. At the sight of a rifle in the back of the car, Nancy had a hard time not to chuckle, which Clint noticed. “Told ya, as uncommon as it is in New York to have one displayed in your car, it’s as uncommon not to have one in Montana.” 

As they drove towards the house, Clint asked, “Where’s Dottie?”

“Oh, she wanted to have everything ready before you came. And with all the preparations for the Christmas celebration, she’s been in the kitchen for hours in a row.”

Clint chuckled. He remembered how Dottie used to get during Christmas time, and apparently nothing had changed. And probably never would. 

When they arrived, a small woman with grey hair came out on the porch, a wide smile lighting her entire face. As soon as the truck came to a halt, Clint jumped out, and took the woman in a warm embrace.

“Oh, Clint, my dear Clint. It’s been way too long. I’m so happy to see you again!” Tears sprung to her eyes, but they were tears of joy at seeing the young man they had raised as their own since he was ten. 

“Hey, Dottie. I missed you!” If possible, Clint hugged her even tighter.

Nancy watched the joyful reunion with a mixture of emotions. On the one hand, she was glad that Dottie seemed like a wonderful woman already, but on the other hand she was a little afraid the small but sturdy woman might resent her – and the rest of the Westbury-gang – for having kept Clint in New York. 

But then she realised she was making things seem worse than they were. Clint was his own man, and if he had really wanted to go back to Montana, he would have. … Wouldn’t he? 

“And you must be Nancy,” the older woman said, with a sparkle in her eyes.

“Guilty as charged,” Nancy replied, trying to mask her uncertainty. 

“Oh, we’ve heard so much about you. Come here, don’t stand there out in the cold. Clint, get her bag.” With a chuckle, Clint walked back the short distance towards the truck, where Doc Johanson had parked it, while Nancy was hugged fiercely, and gently pulled inside. All feelings of doubt disappeared the moment Dottie had embraced her.

“Oh, but I can carry my suitcase myself,” Nancy said. 

“I know, Dear, but we need to keep the men under the illusion that they can help us,” Dottie stage whispered, sending her a wink, as she linked her arm through Nancy’s. Clint and Doc Johanson were right behind them when she said it, but they were quite used to the teasing, and they knew she didn’t mean a word. 

“Come on, Nance, I’ll show you your room,” Clint said, already walking in the direction of the staircase. 

“Yes, go and clean up. Would you like something to drink? Tea, coffee, hot chocolate?” 

“Coffee, if you have it, please,” Nancy said.

“Oh, sure, we do. And if there’s anything you need, just ask anyone.” 

“I will, thank you.” 

“Come on, let’s get upstairs,” Clint said. 

“Alright, if you give me something to carry, ‘cause I’m not letting you carry everything upstairs by yourself.” Nancy put her hands on her hips, and waited. Clint smiled and shook his head.

“Ok, here you go.” He handed her his laptop case, then preceded her upstairs with his duffle bag and Nancy’s suitcase. Nancy rolled her eyes, but followed him nonetheless. At the top of the stairs, Clint opened the door to his left. “This is your room, and that,” he pointed at the door right across the stairs, “is the bathroom. Dottie and Doc Johanson have a room downstairs.” 

Nancy nodded, and walked into the guest room that would function as her room for the next couple of days. It smelled fresh, like the window had been open before she walked in, and there were a couple of towels on the bed. Clint had noticed them as well. 

“I see Dottie already gave you some towels, but if you need more, there are towels in the bathroom closet.”

“Thanks.” 

“Alright,” Clint put her suitcase next to the bed, and looked around. “Well, in that case, I’ll leave you to freshen up. If you need anything, I’ll be across the hallway … as always,” he added as an afterthought. Nancy chuckled. “Got it.”


	4. Chapter 4

**_Friday, 24th of December, 2004_ **

Since it was Christmas Eve, there was a sermon in church, so after supper, that’s where they went. All four of them. Clint was warmly welcomed back by many people, most of which inquired after the beautiful woman he’d brought along, as they too greeted her. Nancy smiled, having the strange experience of both feeling welcome, and of feeling like a fish out of the water. She chuckled quietly at the thought. That must have been how Clint had felt initially in New York.

But soon Nancy felt more at ease. She was seated between Clint and Dottie, and everyone listened to the preacher. 

“…Let’s not forget the amazing gift that God gave us. He entrusted us with the care of His Son. He could have sent a warrior to fight our fights and battles; but instead He sent His Son, to be born like any other child, so Jesus would truly be like any one of us. With one major difference: throughout His entire life, Jesus was _without_ sin. Can you say that you are without sin? Without faults? I know I can’t. We are all sinners, and deserved to die. Yet Jesus took the punishment that was meant for us. Jesus paid for crimes He didn’t commit! He died. But after three days, He rose again. He has conquered death. And because of His incomprehensible sacrifice, He has opened the gate to our Father, our Lord. 

Yes, He already has! God gave us the greatest Christmas present we’ll ever receive. All we have to do is accept His great gift to all of us. If you haven’t asked Jesus into your life, and into your heart yet, I urge you to do so, for Jesus will return, and He will return soon to bring His children home. On this night, Christmas evening, we remember and celebrate the day that Jesus arrived on this world for the first time, in the most humble way, and most humble place, so He could do the greatest thing in history – save our souls, so we can live, knowing we are saved, knowing we will one day be home with the Lord!   
Let us thank and praise the Lord for this incredible gift. Amen.”

* * *

Dottie and Doc had gone home with the truck, but Clint and Nancy had decided to walk back home. It wasn’t too far, about a twenty minute walk, and it would be nice to stretch their legs. They walked quietly side by side, hands stuffed deep into their pockets, because it certainly wasn’t the warmest day of the season. 

After a while, Nancy looked up from her thoughts, feeling Clint’s eyes on her. 

“You ok?” he asked, as soon as he saw he had her attention. 

“Yeah, just thinking.” She looked at the man walking beside her. “Why?”

“You’re so quiet.” 

She returned her attention to the street they were walking on. “Yeah, I suppose…” She knew what his next question would be, so she went ahead. “Mind if I share?”

Clint gave her a small nod, and a smile played at the edge of his lips, knowing she had known that’s what he had wanted to ask. 

“When the preacher talked about making the choice for Jesus, and about home… well, I got to thinking about my mother.” Clint remained silent, knowing she would continue at her own time. “I’ve lost so many years with my mother, because we were both too stubborn to talk to each other. Really talk, I mean. I felt it was my right to be angry with her; but in the end, it didn’t matter who was right or wrong…” She trailed off for a moment. “You know, I’m really glad that you helped us get together again; got us to talk. At least we got some time together, before she died… I’m just so glad that she made that choice.” The relief was evident in her voice, even though she’d started to talk softer. “Now we’ll have lots of time to catch up.” 

She gave Clint a small smile. A hand found hers, and squeezed, as Clint sent her a comforting look. He too had been touched by he sermon. He had thought of the blessing he’d received of having had both God-fearing parents and God-fearing adoptive parents. And it was as Nancy had just said. They would have lots of time to catch up. God had indeed given an incredible gift. One for which Clint thanked Him every day.

* * *

That evening, they sat together with the four of them, in the living room, close by the fire. Gifts were shared, along with some stories, mainly about Clint when he’d been younger. There was a lot of laughter that evening. At the end, Clint looked around. He was glad to see that Nancy appeared so at ease with his family. He’d worried for a little while whether Nancy would feel too left out, but apparently, he hadn’t needed to be. Dottie and Harley had embraced the New Yorker as if she were part of the family. Unfortunately, that meant she was now being introduced to the family pictures, but a quick exchange of looks with his adoptive father had reassured him that _that_ particular picture was still safely hidden… 

He looked at the gift he’d received from Nancy. She’d given him a book that she knew he’d been looking for, for awhile. He’d been on the verge of asking Junior and Jelly Bean whether they were able to find it for him, but apparently Nancy had found it in a very small bookshop. 

Nancy looked up from her position next to Doc, as she was told the story of how Clint had gotten himself into some scrapes and bruises when he’d been twelve, and she caught his look. She fingered the bracelet he’d given her, and sent him a wide smile. 

Christmas Eve had turned out much better than either of them had imagined beforehand.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Saturday, 25th of December, 2004_ **

When Nancy came downstairs the next morning, drawn by the smell of breakfast, she wrapped her arms around herself. It was cold. She walked into the kitchen, where she found Dottie, busily wrapping food, and baking cake.

“Morning,” she greeted the older woman. 

“Oh, good morning Dear! Did you sleep well?”

“Great. I’m surprised I woke up by myself.” She checked the clock, which told her it was almost eight o’clock. She shivered. 

“Perhaps it’s because of the different sounds,” Dottie suggested. “Would you like some breakfast?” Nancy nodded. “Brrr, is it me or is it cold?” 

Dottie looked outside for a moment. “It’s alright, but there’s snow in the air.” She turned her attention to the younger woman, who’d sat down at the table. “You could put on another shirt or sweater. Multi-layering is a concept we’re quite used to around here,” she said with a wink. “Now, what can I get you? Do you like a boiled egg? They’re fresh.” 

“Yes please,” Nancy nodded, and frowned. “Have you had breakfast already?” 

“Oh, yes. We’ve all eaten already. Don’t you look guilty now. We’re used to living on a farm, getting up early and such. But don’t let that keep you from sleeping in, Dear. After all, you have to be all fit and bright when you go back to work.” As she talked, she went about preparing Nancy breakfast. “I’ll just make some more coffee. I’m sure the men wouldn’t mind a cup by now.” 

“Clint’s up already as well?” Nancy asked, slightly surprised. She had thought he might have wanted to sleep in, what with hardly sleeping the night before.

“Yes, he went out with Harley to get the animals fed. They should be about done.” Soon Nancy’s breakfast was on the table. “I’ll just go and call ‘em in, while you get started on breakfast.” 

Dottie went over to the door, and called for the men, who shouted back their agreement. 

“Good morning, Nancy,” Clint’s cheerful and welcome voice greeted her, as he walked inside, closing the door behind him. He sat down across from her at the table.

“Morning, Clint. You’re up early.” Nancy raised an eyebrow, and with an easy grin, Clint replied, “You’re not exactly late either.” 

“Where’s Harley, I thought he heard me call?” Dottie asked, and Clint nodded. “He did, but he just got a call. He’ll be there in a minute.” 

“Alright, here you go, Dear,” Dottie said, putting a steaming mug of coffee in front of him, affectionately patting his shoulder. 

“Thanks, Dottie,” Clint said, taking her hand in his, and looking up at her with a tender expression. Nancy smiled. It was good to see Clint’s adoptive mother and him interacting so intimately, even grown up. She wondered how he’d been as a child.

That’s when Doc Johanson walked in, tucking his phone back in his pocket. “That was Buck Reynolds, asking if we’re still on for today. Morning Nancy.” 

Nancy nodded in acknowledgement. 

“Did you tell him, we’ll be there around eleven?” Dottie asked. 

“I did. Says he’ll be expecting us. Clint, Nancy, will you be joining us?” 

“With what exactly?” Nancy asked, after a quick exchange of looks with Clint, who shrugged. 

“The people from church will be going to the big hall, where anyone can come and eat. It’s sort of like, handing out food to the homeless, except this time, it’s not only the homeless that will be eating there; anyone can come; rich, poor, homeless,” Harley explained.

“That’s why I’ve been cooking so much,” Dottie added, winking at Nancy, as she’d seen the amazed look at all the food. “The people who can afford it, will bring food. We’ll be helping to set everything up.”

Clint looked at Nancy with raised eyebrow. He noticed the barely perceptible nod, and grinned. “We’re in.”

* * *

Half an hour later, Clint’s cell phone rang. He and Nancy had been sitting in the living room, waiting to hear from Dottie when they could start loading food into the car. She didn’t want any help before that time. 

“It’s Raul,” Clint said, sending Nancy a look, before answering. Nancy sat back, listening to this side of the conversation. “Doc Cassidy… Hey sport. How’re you doing? … So I take it you’re satisfied with the presents? Or should Nancy and I just take ‘em back?” He winked at Nancy, who chuckled at the loud protests coming through the phone. “Well, let me check with the boss whether you can keep ‘em.” Clint looked at Nancy with a mischievous look on his face. “What do you think, Nancy? Suppose he an’ Mattie can keep the presents?” 

Nancy leaned over and gave him a gentle slap on the arm. “Stop teasing the boy.”

Clint gave her a mock-hurt look, then spoke into the phone again. “Yup, boss agrees. You can keep ‘em. … So, how’s the family? … You’re escaping the weird uncle, aren’t you?” Clint chuckled. “Yeah, I know…” His face turned serious, and for a while he just listened. “Yeah, your mom was a great woman… She loved you very much… Alright… Say hi to Nate, Beverly and Mattie,” Clint caught the urgent signs from Nancy just in time, “also from Nancy.” Then he focused on the boy again. “You take care now…I love you too, Raul. Bye.” 

He closed his phone, and looked unseeingly ahead of him. When Nancy’s hand settled on his arm, he looked up, and smiled at her gratefully.

* * *

The afternoon whipped by. The food event had been a great success; one that left them all with a tired, but satisfied feeling. While initially it had seemed like each ‘group’ kept mostly to themselves, once the food was handed out, everyone had soon started to mingle. 

At one point, Nancy had nudged Clint, and pointed out two young children, who looked like they were too afraid to come anywhere near. She’d gone over, and talked to them. A few minutes later, Nancy had walked back, the girl holding both her hand and the hand of her younger brother. It wasn’t long before the two children were helping them to hand out food. The girl gave Nancy the empty soup bowls, and Nancy filled them and passed them on to the people walking by. The boy had taken a liking to Clint, but was a little shy, so Clint had picked him up and placed him on his hip. 

The thought that the other had a way with kids, was on both their minds, even though they kept it to themselves. They did share a couple of amused looks. 

Later on, when they had settled down to get something to eat for themselves, the two kids had sat down beside them, and they had talked about everything they could think of, shyness forgotten. When their older brother came by to pick them up later, as had been their agreement, the two kids at first didn’t want to leave, but then they had gone on to enthusiastically tell their brother all about how they had helped handing out food. 

Even cleaning up afterwards was done relatively quickly, as everyone had helped. They didn’t even have to do the dishes at home; all they had to do was put the clean plates back where they belonged. 

They spent the rest of the day reading and playing a game of chess. When it became darker, Clint and Nancy decided to take an evening walk to get a bit of fresh air, while Dottie and Harley decided to go to bed. 

“So, what do you think of Montana so far?” Clint asked, as the pair walked side by side. The snow they had been expecting, hadn’t fallen today. Instead the sky had cleared a little, and the temperature had dropped even further. 

“It’s so… completely different. I haven’t seen much of the countryside itself yet, but what I’ve seen, is beautiful. And the people seem real friendly.”

Clint chuckled. “We too have our rotten apples in Montana.”

_‘There was the ‘we’ again… did he_ really _like living in New York?’_ Nancy wondered. 

“Oh, I know. But, there’s… I don’t know… it seems as if everyone knows each other. It’s… strange.” Nancy frowned. “It’s… well… I think, on the one hand, it’s nice to have this familiarity with so many people. You’re not so much just another person. But on the other hand, I kind of like the anonymity of being in the big city… you know?” She looked at the man next to her, and saw a grin spread over his face. 

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” 

That settled some of the uneasy feeling Nancy had been feeling. Although why she had that feeling, she wasn’t sure. Perhaps it was because he seemed to fit in so easily here… like he belonged in Montana. But why would that make her feel uneasy? _‘Oh, stop lying to yourself, you know why!’_ She pushed the feeling away again, and concentrated on enjoying the moment alone with Clint. 

“There’s another difference between Montana and New York,” Nancy said, diverting her own attention.

“No, really?” Clint teased, earning himself a gentle smack on the arm. 

“Yes. It’s so dark and quiet!” 

Clint laughed. “When I had just arrived in New York, I told Nate the exact same thing.”

Nancy raised an eyebrow, and grinned. “That Montana was dark and quiet?” 

“No, that New York was so light and noisy.” 

“Matter of perspective,” Nancy said, a smile on her face.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Sunday, 26th of December, 2004** _

Sunday was a relatively quiet day. The snow still didn’t come, and the cold remained. They went to the church, and visited some old friends of Clint. Their walk the previous evening had uncovered the fact that Nancy had never ridden a horse, and that of course, had to be remedied. You just didn’t leave Montana without having sat on a horse. Thus far, Clint had always risen early, at the same time as Doc Johanson, and together they would take care of the animals. The Johanson’s didn’t keep many animals, but they had two horses and a bunch of chickens. Harley had exercised the horses for the past few days, but today, Clint and Nancy would take care of that.

Nancy found that Clint was very patient, but she had already known that from working so closely with him. She liked it, especially since she wasn’t really all that sure about sitting on a large animal that could easily throw her off. But as Clint explained things to her, and got her acquainted to the horse, she was starting to feel more at ease. They stayed within the coral that morning, and after Nancy’s first riding lesson, Clint took over, and she watched from behind the fence as he gave the two horses a short but thorough work-out, and took care of them. 

She could see the ease and familiarity with which Clint rode the horses, and she secretly admired how he seemed to become one with the horse’s movements. 

He let her help brushing them dry, showing her the motions, as he covered her hand with his. The contact and closeness between them was comfortable, yet Nancy could feel her heart starting to beat faster. She chalked it up to being this close to an animal that could crush her if it so desired, but deep down she knew that wasn’t the real reason. 

She actually found the motions of taking care of the horse quite soothing. When Clint asked whether she’d like to try again the next day, she agreed.

A couple of friends of Doc Johanson and his wife came over for supper, and Nancy was treated to a whole new jargon about cattle, country fairs, and tractor prices. When the older folks sat by the fire and drank coffee, Nancy and Clint went out for their evening walk. There was something about these evening walks that made them not want to skip it. 

This time, as they had walked in silence for a while, Nancy slipped her arm through Clint’s. It wasn’t a conscious act; in fact, she only realised she had done so, when she thought of how good it felt. Afraid that Clint might not like it, she started to pull away again, but Clint’s arm tightened a little bit. Their eyes found each other. No words were spoken, but from that evening on, their arms were linked, whenever they walked somewhere together.

* * *

_**Monday, 27th of December, 2004** _

Monday morning, Clint suggested that, since Nancy hadn’t been out in the countryside much before, they could make a walk through the woods today. Bundled up warmly, they went on a seemingly random trail through the woods. Clint seemed to know where they were going though. He showed her some of the places he used to go when he was young.

At one point, they reached a small stream. They could hear the gurgling of the water from a distance, and when they reached it, the sun decided to show itself as well. Nancy couldn’t believe her eyes. She had seen pictures, but seeing nature in its full glory with her own eyes was something else entirely. As Clint sat down against a tree, overlooking the picture from his position, he indicated for Nancy to sit next to him. She did, still in awe of the scene. 

“Close your eyes,” Clint said softly. Nancy looked at him with a questioning expression, and Clint shook his head in amusement. “Humour me.” 

Nancy shrugged, and closed her eyes. For a couple of moments she waited for Clint to do something… but he didn’t. “Wha-?”

“Shhh,” Clint said quietly, and a hand settled on her arm. She was about to open her eyes, and tell him to just hurry up with it, when suddenly she realised what he had been trying to tell her. 

The sounds of nature – the rustling of a few dead leaves that had been lying in a sheltered place before the wind blew them away; the water’s gentle gurgling; a few lonely birds singing. After a couple of minutes of just enjoying the peace and calm of the sounds, Nancy opened her eyes again, and looked up at Clint with shining eyes. He had been watching her closely, waiting for her reaction. When she looked up with that expression, he knew she had heard what he’d wanted her to hear. A wide smile spread across his face, and putting an arm around her shoulders, he gently pulled her against his side. Nancy reached up to take his hand in hers to keep his arm there. Both sat back and continued to enjoy the peaceful moment. Clint found himself wishing they could stay like this forever. The thought surprised him somewhat, but it felt good to be with Nancy, and to sit like this.

After a while though, it was starting to get cold, and they reluctantly got up, and made their way back to the house.

* * *

They ended up on horseback again that afternoon, but this time they actually went outside the fences. Nancy was a quick study, and Clint kept a watchful eye out for any sign the horse might want to bolt, but thankfully, nothing untoward happened. Nancy improved steadily, and grew more comfortable riding the horse.

Once they were home, Clint got some wood from the shed for the fireplace. When he entered the house through the kitchen door, he noticed that Nancy was rubbing her arms. 

“Cold?”

Nancy looked up, and shrugged. “A bit.”

It confused Clint for a moment, because, even though neither Dottie and Doc Johanson were home at the moment, they wouldn’t have turned the heater down, knowing they could be back any moment. 

“Hold on, I’ll check the heating. With this weather, it has a mind of its own sometimes.” 

Clint went to check the heating system, and sighed. Yup, just their luck. Heating system had broken down again. He’d have to get some more wood, ‘cause if they were going to keep warm, they’d need to keep the fire in the living room going full force. He gave Will Stoker a call, informing him of the problem. Will said he couldn’t be there any faster than three hours. Clint shrugged, and agreed. As long as the system would be fixed again tonight. 

He walked back to the kitchen, where Nancy was making coffee. He could see she was shivering. 

“Here,” Clint’s voice came from right behind her, and she turned around. He was holding out the sweatshirt he’d been wearing. She frowned for a moment. “Don’t you need it yourself?”

“Nah,” Clint said with a smile. “I’ll warm up quickly enough. I need to get some more wood from the shed, and that and building the fire should be enough to keep me warm.” He winked, and Nancy gave in, and accepted the sweater. Clint slipped on his jacket, and went back to get more wood. 

Nancy put on the sweater. The heat from Clint’s body lingered, and she immediately felt warmer. She hugged herself, breathing in the scent of the man. 

The beep from the percolator shook her out of her reverie. 

Within fifteen minutes, the two people were sitting on the cushions they’d put in front of the fire. Clint kept the fire going, and Nancy told him of the camping trip her father had taken her on. It had ended when, they had been on the road for twenty minutes, heavy drops of rain started pouring from the sky, and more dark clouds were gathering on the horizon… or what they could see of it anyway. They had looked at each other, and immediately agreed. They had turned the car around and had gone back immediately. 

Nancy chuckled. “That was the first and last camping trip I’ve ever been on.” 

Clint looked sceptical, and asked, “Didn’t you go on a camping trip with school or something?”

“Well,” Nancy started. “We were. Except I fell with gymnastics the day before we were supposed to go. Broke my leg. They sent me loads of pictures though,” she offered, when Clint’s shook his head. Finally he said, “At least, if you’re going to break your leg now, you’ve already been outside… and there’d be two doctors to take care of you.” He winked, and Nancy was glad she was already sitting. 

“Oh, I think one doctor would be enough,” she said with a sparkle in her eyes as she winked back. He swallowed. _Did she mean what I think she meant?_ he wondered. That was when the front door opened, and Doc and Dottie arrived back from grocery shopping. The comment was filed away, and Clint updated his adoptive parents on the heating system’s day off. 

Doc Johanson sighed. “Well, it’s only the first time this winter.” 

They had dinner, and Will Stoker came to repair the system. Soon after, Nancy and Clint went on a very short walk – they’d been outside for long enough today – before going to bed.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Tuesday, 28th of December, 2004** _

On Tuesday morning, Nancy and Clint were trying to decide what they would do. It didn’t really matter to either of them what they would do, they just enjoyed each other’s company. They had already taken the horses for a ride, but they figured it would be a waste if they were here for a week and didn’t even go into town aside from going to church.

That’s when Harley suggested they try out the new ice rink. Clint was a bit sceptical, since he had only skated once before, and that was with his mother – his real mother – when she’d still been alive. He couldn’t even remember it very well. 

“Oh, come on Clint, it will be fun. I can teach you if you like,” Nancy offered, her eyes shining with excitement. “Please?” 

Who was he to resist? When she looked at him like that, there were few things he wouldn’t do for her. “Alright.” 

“Could you first do some groceries for me?” Dottie asked. “I forgot some things yesterday. We should have enough for a few more days, but with that unpredictable weather, I’d rather have a bit more, just in case.” 

“Sure thing,” Clint and Nancy agreed. By the time they came back from the groceries, Dottie had lunch ready. So it was after lunch, before they bundled up, and headed towards the ice rink. There were some other people, but mostly it was quiet. It seemed odd since it was Christmas holiday for the schools, but they were told it was because the parents would only get back from work towards the end of the afternoon, before they would take their kids to skate. Nancy and Clint rented some skates, and as they took their first tentative steps on the ice, Nancy admitted it had been a couple of years for her as well since she last skated. 

They took it slowly at first, getting used to standing on two irons on a slippery wet floor. Nancy started to move a bit, skating a few metres, then returning to Clint. The doctor – who didn’t stick out here as much as he did in New York – had watched a couple of more experienced people, and figured he’d give it a shot. 

Nancy giggled. She couldn’t help it. She had never seen Clint so unbalanced. He wasn’t usually clumsy, but you wouldn’t be able to tell, if you saw him now. He had managed to skate a few metres, before the irons started to slip out from underneath him, and his arms made large motions to try and keep upright. How he had managed, she still didn’t know, but he did. Meanwhile, she had gotten the feeling back, and went towards her friend. 

“Come on, we’ll try it together.” 

Holding onto Nancy’s hand, Clint slowly started to get the rhythm. But as he looked up to smile at her, he lost his balance, and fell onto the ice, dragging Nancy with him. 

“Whoops, sorry,” Clint apologised, but once Nancy had recovered from the unexpected fall, she waved it off. “Everyone falls the first time they’re on the ice. Let’s get up, we’re just getting wet here.” 

Nancy climbed to her feet in seemingly no time, while Clint took his time. Every time he thought he was almost there, he felt one of his feet slip away, but he managed. After another half hour, he was an expert in climbing to his feet. 

He had told Nancy to go ahead. She’d catch up with him easily. She alternated between skating a couple of rounds on her own, and skating along with Clint. Finally, Clint was able to stay upright, move in one direction, without falling, and even pick up some speed.

Until he realised that there was neither steer nor brakes on ice-skates. As he climbed up from yet another fall, he looked up at the approaching Nancy. “You know, Nancy… given the choice between riding a bull and ice skating… I’d definitely go for the bull.” 

Nancy burst out laughing, and slipped her arm around his waist. “That’s my cowboy.” She didn’t even seem to realise what she’d said, but Clint did, and wondered whether she’d meant it in the general sense, or whether she really meant ‘my’ cowboy. Since she didn’t look in his direction, he pushed the sense of hope and excitement he’d felt back down, to the corner of his heart he didn’t dare venture too often. Although it seemed to get much more difficult to keep those elated feelings from bubbling to the surface lately… 

In the end, Clint got the hang of it, and actually started to enjoy it. But by that time, they were pretty cold, and it was starting to get more crowded. They decided to leave, and Clint took her to the diner to get a cup of hot chocolate. As they walked in, Clint noticed the four old men sitting at the table in the corner by the window, and shook his head. Nothing had changed in that respect. Absentmindedly, he wondered who had won the bet on Samantha and him not lasting longer than two weeks, but immediately he forgot it again. 

Clint did walk over to greet them, and he introduced nurse Nancy Nichol to the guys, who returned the pleasantries, some nodding politely. Both Nancy and Clint noticed the speculative gleam in all four pairs eyes, and had to force themselves to refrain from rolling theirs, but once they had sat down at another table, and shared a look, they burst out laughing. 

They settled down somewhat, and chatted about everything and nothing. Nancy made Clint agree to go ice skating with her in New York sometime, and Clint agreed. He might prefer bull riding to ice skating for himself, but he had relished in watching the excitement shining throughout Nancy’s entire being as she had crossed the ice. If it meant that he had to put on the slippery shoes to see that excitement in Nancy’s eyes again, he’d gladly do it, even if it meant earning himself a couple of bruises. 

When they left the diner, the four old guys started a new wager.

* * *

Clint knew Dottie and Harley were invited by friends to have supper and spend the evening, so they would be on their own for the evening. Not that he minded in the least, but it did mean they’d have to cook for themselves, and Clint had the feeling that the snow wouldn’t hold out much longer. 

They hadn’t been inside for long, when it started. First there was just a light cover of the white fluffy good, but soon it started snowing in earnest. Clint had gotten the fire started, and Nancy had started preparing supper. They finished it together, keeping up a light banter as they went along, and settled down to eat. After finishing the dishes, Clint went back to checking the fire. He was just putting on an extra log, when Nancy walked in with hot chocolate with cream. 

As she handed Clint his mug, their hands touched lightly. There was a loud pop from the fireplace, and a spark flashed up. Nancy and Clint both startled, and they chuckled, a little embarrassed at their own reactions. “Thanks.” Clint indicated the mug. 

“You’re welcome.” Nancy smiled, glad for the fire as an excuse for the heat she felt on her cheeks. They settled down on the couch, each engrossed in a book. Sometimes they would point something out from their books, edging closer to the other to read. In the end, Nancy had put a cushion against Clint’s side, and was leaning against him. Both were consciously aware of it, but it felt good, and as long as the other was comfortable as well, neither was going to complain.

* * *

Soft piano notes drifting through the room woke Nancy from her slumber on the couch. First she thought it was a CD, but she was facing the CD player, and it looked suspiciously dark. Curiosity piqued, she sat up slowly and looked around. There were a few lamps turned on, but the fire was the biggest source of light in the room. 

She remembered that she had been comfortably leaning against Clint. Apparently she had nodded off and fallen asleep. But Clint wasn’t there anymore. Deciding to follow the music, she noticed that the door in the corner, which had been closed before, was now ajar. Quietly she walked up to the door, and peeked through the opening. Clint was partially turned away from her, but she could still see part of his face. His hands caressed the piano keys, bringing forth a beautiful melody. When the song ended, Clint opened his eyes, and noticed Nancy’s reflection in the window.

“Want to join?” he asked softly, startling Nancy. 

“Oh, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she apologised. Clint turned his upper body, and smiled at her. “You didn’t.” He slid to the right on the piano stool, making room for Nancy, and patted the empty space next to him. She hesitated for a moment. “I don’t know. It’s been ages. I don’t think I’ve remembered a lot.” 

Actually, she did remember a lot… how her mother never seemed to have time to come to recitals or concerts. 

“You won’t have to play,” Clint prodded, guessing where her thoughts were leading her. He remembered her outburst at Elaine when he’d been trying to get them to talk. He could imagine that playing a piano would bring back some unpleasant memories. But maybe she could replace them with some nicer memories. 

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, but had really only been a few seconds, Nancy nodded, and carefully sat down next to Clint. He waited till Nancy seemed ready, and started to play again. A different tune this time, but it touched something deep within Nancy. 

The music brought back memories of times when her mother had called to say she couldn’t pick her up from the music school. She remembered how the piano teacher would look at her with pity, when for the umpteenth time, her mother forgot to pick her up, and they had had to call her father from his store. 

The tones seemed to soften, and she remembered how she had come to learn playing piano. Her mother had taken her in her lap, and had sat down behind the instrument, first playing melodies and lullabies… then, when the curious young girl’s fingers had reverently extended towards the piano, her mother had gently guided her small fingers across the keys. They had sat like that many times. 

They were memories she hadn’t allowed herself to look at for so long, she had forgotten they existed. But now they came flooding back to her. 

The tune changed again slightly, until a peaceful feeling settled over her. 

Slowly she opened her eyes, having just discovered she had closed them. She could feel the movements of Clint’s arms as he played, and she noticed that even though his head was bowed a little, he was watching her closely. It was as if he’d felt what she had felt, and suddenly, she was aware of her heart racing again. She wasn’t sure if he could feel it too, but she was conscious of the fact that they were sitting very close. 

And for the first time, she allowed the thought that perhaps she had really fallen in love with this man. 

Little did she know that similar thoughts were going through Clint’s mind. All she knew was that she needed more time to analyse the thought. Clint’s hands had come to a halt a few seconds ago; the last tones carried through the room and mingled with the silence, until that was all that was left.

“You never told me you could play!” Nancy broke the silence before it could become awkward. Clint grinned, and replied, “Sure I did… I showed you I could play guitar.” 

Nancy rolled her eyes, and gently smacked his arm. “The piano, I mean.” 

“Well, I do have one in my apartment you know,” Clint teased. “And you never asked why I had one.” 

“Perhaps I thought you would tell me if you wanted me to know,” Nancy replied ambiguously. 

“Or perhaps you were afraid of facing your mother’s memories…?” Clint asked quietly, hoping he hadn’t gone too far. Her breath caught, and her first instinct was to deny it, but then she took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, perhaps that was part of it as well…”

“You ok?” Clint asked, gently taking her hand into his.

“Yeah. Thanks.” She didn’t elaborate on what she was thanking him for, merely looked him in the eyes. More wasn’t necessary, as her eyes and that one word conveyed everything Clint needed to know. 

“So… tell me, how come you have a piano in your apartment?” Nancy asked, a genuine smile spreading across her face. Clint raised his eyebrow, and pretended to think. 

“I’m pretty sure it was Nate and me carrying her inside.” At her look, he laughed, and conceded. “Alright, alright, I’ll tell you.” He looked at the instrument before him, and asked, “Remember ol’ Peter Stanford? The guy with MS?” At Nancy’s nod of remembrance, he continued. “He died two years ago. He was a piano player, wrote his own pieces… But the MS robbed him of his ability to actually play for the most part of the year. He didn’t have any family, lived alone with a nurse to help him out, very few friends, so I sometimes went to visit him. One time when I was there, he was frustrated for not being able to listen to the composition he’d written. I offered to play it for him. From that point on, whenever I was there, I’d play the piano. He taught me some tricks as well. … When he died, he left the piano to me. One of ‘em anyway.” He chuckled, remembering how adamant the man had been that Clint kept the piano. “So, that’s how I ended up with a piano.” 

Nancy shook her head. “Only Clint Cassidy. But how did you learn to play?”

Clint looked down for a moment, then gave her a lopsided grin. “Dottie taught me. Did you know she was a music teacher? My mom…” he trailed off for a moment. “My mom was good friends with Dottie. ‘t Was because of my mom that I started, even though at the time I was more interested in playing guitar, like my dad.” 

So both of them had learned to play the instrument through their mothers. Nancy looked at the man sitting next to her, could sense that he was remembering something specific about his mother. This was actually one of the few times he had told her about his mother. She wondered if he did it on purpose, or because perhaps he didn’t have as many memories of her. All she really knew was that his father had died of cancer, when Clint was ten, and that, from that moment on, he’d come to live with Doc Johanson and his wife. 

“You ok?” she asked after a moment. Clint nodded, let go of a breath, and gave her hand a little squeeze. “Yeah. I’m ok.” Nancy squeezed back, and they both turned to look at the instrument which brought up so many memories for both of them. _‘Well,’_ Nancy thought, _‘at least I now know why I’ve never heard Clint play before…’_ It was too private. He had only offered to play to a man whose life used to revolve around music, because he couldn’t play any longer himself. 

Yet he’d played for her, minutes ago. Until now, she hadn’t wanted to touch the instrument. But now… Her fingers reached out, and carefully touched the keys. Looking up, she asked, “May I?”

“Go ahead,” Clint nodded. 

Uncertain at first, Nancy slowly pressed some keys, reacquainting her fingers with the feel of a piano. Then slowly, she let herself be immersed with the music, and even though she made quite some mistakes along the way, she knew that this was one of her best recitals. 

They decided to go for a walk. Clint had been right; it had started to snow a while ago, and already there was a little layer covering the ground. And still it continued to snow. But even though it was beautiful, it was also very cold, so they soon returned to the warmth of the living room. Clint quickly checked on the animals, whether the doors were properly shut, and Nancy prepared some tea, and soon they were cuddled up on the couch with their books again. When the doctor and his wife arrived home twenty minutes later, they found both asleep. Clint was sagged down on one side of the couch, his head leaned back, and Nancy was lying on the couch, leaning her head on a cushion on Clint’s thigh. 

They were just debating on whether to wake them, when Clint woke up from their quiet voices. Doc Johanson and Dottie sat down in the two chairs, warming up by the fire, which still burnt slightly. They told Clint about their evening, and Clint told them a bit of theirs. Harley and Dottie smiled at each other as Clint tenderly brushed a hair from Nancy’s face. When Nancy woke up, and realised she had fallen asleep again, she blushed, but Dottie told her not to worry about it; that Clint had also been asleep when they arrived. 

They sat together for another fifteen minutes before they decided the day had lasted long enough, and they went to bed.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Wednesday, 29th of December, 2004** _

“I can’t believe this is the last day we’re here already!” Nancy exclaimed from the back of her horse, as they took them back on a leisurely walk to the stable. She took a deep breath of the fresh air, and let go with a sigh. The snow crunched underneath the horses’ hoofs. During the night, the snowing had continued, and it had covered the world like a blanket.

Clint laughed. “We’ll make a country person out of you yet!” 

Nancy stuck out her tongue at him, but inwardly had to admit that she had grown to love the quiet countryside. But that wasn’t what necessarily caused her disappointment at how fast the days had flown by. The people, Dottie, Doc Johanson… she’d miss them. But what she would miss most was spending so much quality time with Clint. 

“You’re right though,” Clint agreed. “It’s whipped by so fast, if it’d been a horse, it would have won races.”

Nancy shook her head in amusement. Trust Clint to come up with such a comparison.

They took their time to take care of the horses, and went outside. Clint closed the stable door and turned around, when a ball of the white material hit his chest. Glancing up at his companion, he narrowed his eyes. “You know what this means…” 

Nancy chuckled, and then quickly had to duck away in order to avoid a snowball headed in her direction. It missed her, but when Nancy turned to point that out to her opponent, another snowball hit her square on her shoulder. She glared at him. “Oh, _I_ know what it means… but do _you_?” 

“Uh oh,” was all Clint said, before the snow fight started in earnest. Soon they were laughing so hard, they had to stop. They ended up lying on the ground, Clint on his back, and Nancy leaning with her arms on his chest. Out of breath, she asked cheekily, “You give up?” 

Laughing Clint shook his head, but he was a little distracted as he thought she looked beautiful like that. “Alright. I give up.”

Nancy smiled, catching her breath. Then suddenly, Clint flipped her onto her back. “Hey!” she exclaimed, and Clint shrugged, a grin on his lips. “Couldn’t resist.” 

He stood up, and pulled Nancy to her feet. “Now let’s get inside. I think lunch is almost ready.”

Nancy nodded, but pointed her finger at him. “Fine, but I’m taking the shower first.”

Clint agreed. “Of course. Wouldn’t dare to suggest otherwise…” Nancy mock glared at him, threatening to throw another BIG snowball at him if he didn’t hurry inside. Clint ducked his head, and exaggerated a hurried retreat. 

As they stepped inside through the kitchen door, still laughing, Doc Johanson looked up from his newspaper and smiled knowingly. “Had a good time, didn’t you?” He took in the appearances of the two younger people, and couldn’t help but remember another winter, so many years ago. And now look at the result… he glanced sideways to his wife, and smiled. Oh, yes, life was good. 

“Sure bet. Dottie, we’ll go and take a quick shower, and we’ll be down for lunch,” Clint said, and Nancy nodded. Dottie smiled. 

“Take your time, Dears, I’d rather have you warm and dry, than catching a cold.” 

The two quickly went upstairs, and Dottie and Harley exchanged a look. 

“I know what you’re thinking,” Harley told his wife, who chuckled merrily. 

“Well, someone has to think it.”

Harley didn’t say a word, but his sparkling eyes told the story. 

“Although,” Dottie continued, “I wonder whether our son might just need a little push?” 

His eyes narrowed. “Are you making me the pusher?” 

“I didn’t say that,” Dottie said with a grin, as she turned back to preparing lunch. The grey-haired doctor shook his head, and smiled. Seemed he would be having a little talk with his son. 

At lunch, Doc Johanson told them that he’d be going to a neighbouring town to make some house calls. As Nancy helped Dottie with the dishes, Clint helped Harley load some supplies into the truck.

“So, did you like your stay here,” Dottie asked the young woman next to her. 

“Oh yes, I loved it. I still can’t believe it’s almost over already. I wanted to thank you for welcoming me in your home.” 

“Oh, Dear, any friend of Clint’s is welcome. And you remember that, alright. Don’t become a stranger; we want to see you again,” Dottie gently warned the nurse, although if she read the two people correctly, she wouldn’t need to worry about that. 

“Thank you,” Nancy smiled gratefully. 

Meanwhile, Clint and Harley walked from the doctor’s study to the truck, and loaded the supplies Harley liked to have with him on his ‘rounds’. 

“And, boy, any regret of bringing company?” Harley asked. Clint looked up in surprise. 

“No, not at all!” 

“Me neither. But you know, now you’ll have to bring her ‘round more often, ‘cause now Dottie has met her as well.” 

Clint grinned. “That’s no surprise.” 

Harley nodded. “I figured you would know that.” He remained quiet for a little while, and they loaded the truck. When they closed the truck, he stood still, waiting for Clint to turn his attention on him. Clint waited for whatever the Doc seemed to have on his mind. The older man looked for a way to ‘give that push’, and finally just decided to say it outright. Clint was used to it. 

“You like her, don’t you?” 

Clint blinked. Then he slowly nodded. “Yeah, I do.” 

“Good.” 

That was all, as far as Harley was concerned, and he nodded in satisfaction. He walked towards the house, and suddenly realised he was walking alone. Turning back, he quietly chuckled as Clint seemed lost in thought. “You coming, son?” 

The man mentally shook himself, and nodded. “Coming.”

* * *

A ring from the phone made all three occupants of the room look up. Dottie rose and picked it up. 

“Dottie Johanson.” She listened for a few seconds. “Harley is out, but Clint’s here.” 

She handed the phone over to Clint. “Doc Cassidy… Well, Doc Johanson’s out of town with the truck. … Would be great. …Sure thing. See you in ten.”

He put the phone down, and rose from the couch. “Bill Meyers’ cow is about to deliver, and apparently the vet’s visiting family in California. Barbara’s pickin’ me up in a few minutes.” 

Dottie nodded, and Nancy looked at him in amazement. “You saying that you’re going to deliver a calf?” 

A smile covered Clint’s face. “Nope, but a cow is. Ever witnessed a calf bein’ born?” 

“No, can I come?” 

“Yeah, sure, let’s go.” 

A few minutes later, they were being picked up by Barbara Meyers, the daughter of Bill. She filled them in on the situation, and within moments they had arrived at the farm. Clint jumped out, motioning for Nancy to follow him, and with confident steps, he walked towards the stable. Barbara went back towards the house, duty fulfilled. Bill Meyers greeted them. 

“Hey Doc, long time no see. Glad you’re around though.” 

“Likewise, Bill. This is Nancy, a friend of mine.” 

“Hi,” Nancy greeted the man, who looked at her carefully. 

“Y’ain’t from around. Where you from?” 

“New York. I’m a nurse there,” Nancy explained, wondering whether this was where he would try and keep his distance. So far that hadn’t happened yet, but she had gotten some strange, even dismayed faces. The majority of the people though, had just been curious. 

“Hmm, first time you seein’ a calf bein’ born, then.” It wasn’t even a question, but Nancy nodded nonetheless. “Unless you object…” she offered.

“You’re most welcome to stay, Ma’am. It’s a wonderful sight, I tell ya.” 

Nancy felt the tension leave her shoulders, the farmer’s easy smile enough to convince her he meant what he said. 

“How long has she been like this?” Clint asked indicating the cow, and Bill shrugged. “Less than an hour.” 

“Did you check whether the calf’s in the right position?” He had seen the cleaning and disinfection material close by, along with plastic OB sleeves; and Bill had been delivering cows longer than he had. Really, he was only here to assist in case things went wrong. When he had still been living in Montana, he and Doc Johanson had pretty much been called on at least once a year to help one of the farmers. 

“Yeah, it’s fine. I don’t think there’ll be complications, but my son ain’t home, so if it does go wrong, I’d be pretty much on my own. Hope I didn’t interrupt anything?”

“Don’t worry, Bill, you did the right thing.” 

That’s when the waiting game started. Nancy asked whether it wasn’t a bit early for a calf to be born, seeing as it was winter, but she got a shrug in reply. “’t happens.” 

Nancy watched as the two men confidently went about their way. Luckily the cow didn’t need much assistance, and before she knew it, a newborn calf was standing on its four feet. Bill had put on clean OB sleeves, and checked for a second calf, his arm disappearing up to his shoulder, and Nancy wondered absently whether Clint had ever had to do that as well. 

“Nope, this calf doesn’t have any siblings,” Bill said. “And there doesn’t seem to be any lacerations, so she ought to be fine.” 

Nancy looked at the calf, and remembered Clint’s comment when Doctor Hebert had asked them whether they thought his daughter Gracie was cute. Clint’s comment had been that she was ‘cuter than a newborn calf.’ Only now did she truly know what he’d meant.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Wednesday, 29th of December, 2004 still** _

Later that day, after the family dinner, they sat down together, and Harley read a passage from the Bible. This was nothing new, they had done this every evening after dinner. But this time, they went into more of discussion, and they prayed and sang a few songs. Harley called it their ‘moment of rest’.

“Life is growing faster and faster, and it’s hard to keep up at times. You’re getting busier, and you have less time to focus on the Bible. We’re trying to put a stop to that in our lives, and as part of that, we consciously took this evening to have a break in the week, where we can settle down as a family, and take time for God. For if you don’t take time to listen to what He has to say, how are we ever going to hear it?”

* * *

That evening, Clint and Nancy were sitting close by the fire, just talking about all kinds of things. Dottie and Harley had already gone to bed, so it was just them. Suddenly Clint stood, and gently pulled Nancy to her feet as well. 

“Dress warmly, we’re going outside.” 

Nancy looked at him with a frown. “Now? In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s night, it’s dark outside, and the time to go for a walk has long since passed.”

Clint smiled. “Yes, now. Trust me, you’ll love it.” 

Nancy shrugged, threw her hands up, and smiled. “Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” 

They both went quietly upstairs so as not to disturb the older couple, and dressed warmly. When Nancy came back into the living room, Clint was waiting. Wordlessly, he handed Nancy her coat, scarf, gloves and hat. She slipped on her boots, and when Nancy straightened, he asked, “Ready?”

“As ready as you can be for the unknown,” Nancy quipped. 

“I’m sure Tippy would have something to say about that.” Clint grinned and opened the door. Once outside they headed over to the barn, where Clint saddled a horse. Nancy hesitated. “Ehm, as much as I’ve been practicing horse-riding the last few days, I don’t think I’m quite ready to ride in the dark.” 

“That’s ok, I wasn’t planning on saddling another horse,” Clint said. Nancy rolled her eyes, but resigned herself to waiting. Evidently, Clint wasn’t about to reveal anything yet, and she knew that if Clint Cassidy wanted to keep a secret, it would remain a secret, until he decided otherwise. Although she could usually figure out that he had a secret, even if he hadn’t said anything.

Clint led the mare outside, and closed the barn door behind them. The horse shook its head at the cold winter air, but waited patiently while Clint helped Nancy get seated, before he took his own seat behind her. 

At first Nancy was tense; the darkness was intense compared to New York nights, even with the shallow light of the moon that was peeking through the clouds at times that reflected off the snow, and she was afraid the horse might stumble. But as she realised that both Clint and the horse were calm and confident, she relaxed, and leaned back a little, resting against Clint’s chest. She felt how he expertly guided the strong animal underneath them, through the darkness, and allowed herself to enjoy the ride. The darkness became less intimidating as her eyes got used to it, and the night looked peaceful enough. 

After they’d been riding for a while, Nancy asked, very quietly, almost afraid to interrupt the peace, “So, where are we going?” 

“You’ll see,” Clint answered softly, squeezing her arm in reassurance. “Just tell me when you’re getting cold.” 

“I’m still good, but I’ll let you know if I do.”

She let herself enjoy the ‘night music’ of the countryside, which too was such a contrast to the noises of the Big Apple. 

Clint for his part sensed through her body language, and the way she leaned against him, that she was enjoying the nightly outing, and grew more confident that she would like his surprise. 

Almost there now. He slowed the mare down, led her around a couple of bushes, then suddenly the forest disappeared from around them, and a relatively wide expanse of ice-covered water stretched out before them. 

Nancy gasped. This was beautiful! She looked around her, then slowly let her gaze wander around the edges of the lake, as if trying to soak in everything the picture presented.

“What do you think?” Clint asked softly, as he leaned closer to her ear.

“It’s beautiful,” Nancy breathed. “it’s quiet… calm… peaceful.” She looked up. “You can see the stars and the moon so clearly when there’s a break in the clouds. No wonder you missed this place! Once you’ve seen this… who would settle for a rooftop from where the stars are dim compared to this.” 

Clint sighed, and looked up into the sky. It was true; he had missed being able to find a place this quiet and peaceful. But as he sat here, with Nancy leaning against him, he realised he wouldn’t have it any other way. God had had a plan for him in New York, and He had needed to use something as strong as love to get Clint to move there. But once he’d gotten there, the real plan started. Lives had changed because God had planted a country doctor in the middle of one of the fastest moving cities of the country. And not only the lives that Clint had helped change; his own life too was different that what he had ever imagined. 

He was no longer a country doctor; he was the country doctor who lived in New York. In New York, he was still seen as a typical country doctor; yet in Hamilton he’d become a bit of a stranger too. That wasn’t to say he now was a city doctor – he still used his country style of treating patients – but he had more experience now, a broader horizon. 

He couldn’t feel too sad about it. He loved and cherished his roots, and would try and honour the lessons he’d learnt on the countryside. Yet he had found his place in the big city. He had lived in New York for four years, and had had ample opportunities to move back to Hamilton. But there were things, certain people, who had kept him there. And one of them, he reflected, perhaps the most important one, was sitting in his arms at the moment. 

A contented sigh escaped his lips, and Nancy looked up over her shoulder, to see his face. “You ok?”

“Yeah, just enjoying the scenery, and the company.” 

Nancy grinned, and said lightly, “Yeah, me too.” Inside though, she felt the jitters. At that moment, the horse, which had patiently been waiting for a while, decided that the fun had lasted long enough. She was standing in the snow, while she could be in a warm, comfy stable! The movement shook Clint from his thoughts, and he looked up at the sky and smelled the air. “I think it’s going to snow again. Let’s go back to the house.”

Nancy agreed, and an involuntary shiver travelled through her body. The inactivity had caused the temperature to get a better grip on them, and Clint took out a blanked he’d put in a saddlebag, and wrapped it around her. “That better?”

Nancy nodded. “Yeah, thanks.” 

When they returned, Nancy went inside and prepared them some hot chocolate, while Clint took care of the horse. When they were done, they were in much the same position as they had been quite often lately; sitting on the couch, with Nancy sitting closely next to Clint, his hand resting on her knee. 

“Worth the cold?” Clint asked quietly, and Nancy smiled, and her eyes twinkled. “Definitely worth the cold.” She caught his eyes, and couldn’t seem to let go… perhaps if she _really_ wanted to… “Thanks,” she said genuinely. Clint smiled, and lowered his gaze for a moment to look at his hand, before looking back at the blue eyes which captivated his. “You’re welcome,” he managed. 

They smiled, and somehow they conveyed their awareness of their attraction to each other, even if they weren’t quite ready to verbalise it. Instead, they settled back, and watched the fire, before they had to admit to themselves that the end of this trip would come anyway, and they went to bed.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Thursday, 30th of December, 2004** _

He knocked on the door, and chuckled when he heard Nancy’s voice calling out, “It’s open!”

He stepped inside, and closed the door behind him. Nancy appeared from the bedroom. 

“You know, I seem to recall someone telling me I shouldn’t leave my door open,” Clint teased, and Nancy grinned. “Really? Smart someone.” 

“Yup, that’s the truth,” Clint agreed. He guessed now was as good a time as any to just come out, and tell her, and he opened his mouth to do so… but hesitated. For a few moments the two adults just stood there, watching each other. Clint swallowed, and told himself to stop being such a coward. “I… I just realised…” He trailed off for a moment, and Nancy looked at him expectantly. They were about one and a half metres apart. “I just thought… we should let Beverly know we’ve arrived safely,” he blurted out. Immediately he closed his eyes, hence missing the flash of disappointment crossing Nancy’s face, and said softly, “That wasn’t what I was gonna say.”

Nancy took a tentative step closer, and tried to catch his eyes. “Clint?”

The doctor looked up, and took her hands in his. “Nancy, you’ve been a great friend for the past four years, and I really appreciate that.”

_‘Oh no, he’s not going to say…’_

“But the last couple of days, I started to realise something. And the empty feeling I got when I just arrived in my apartment only confirmed it.” 

_‘No!_ ’ Nancy denied, _‘Please don’t let him say he’s going to move back to Montana!’_

Clint tightened his hold on her hands, and looked her in the eyes, trying to pour everything into that one look, as he finished, “Nancy Nichol, I love you.”

Nancy gasped, letting go of the breath she’d been holding, relief and happiness melting together. “You’re serious?” She had to check. Clint nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more serious in my life,” he whispered.

“Oh, Clint. For a moment I thought you were going to say you were leaving us and going back to live in Montana. Clint grinned uncertainly, and Nancy smiled up at him. “That thought really terrified me, ‘cause there’s something you have to know.”

“Yeah? What’s that?” Clint asked, almost breathlessly. Nancy stepped closer, and said, “That I’m in love with you, and I can’t imagine a life without you.”

It took a few seconds for her words to dawn on him, but then he started to smile, and his eyes lit up. 

“Really?”

“Oh yeah,” she nodded, excitement building within her. 

“Woohee!” Clint exclaimed. Within moments, the remaining distance between them closed, and their lips met in a gentle, loving kiss. When their lips parted, their faces still nearly touching, they gazed into each other’s eyes.

“I love you, Nancy,” Clint whispered. “I love you too, Clint Cassidy,” Nancy responded likewise. 

The kiss was interrupted by the ringing of Clint’s cell phone, and Clint almost growled in frustration. Nancy giggled. She kept her arms around his waist, and leaned her head against his shoulder, as he answered the phone. She revelled in the feeling of the strong muscles underneath the shirt, and the heat coming from his body. And now that they had admitted it to each other, she didn’t have to feel guilty about it anymore either…

“Cassidy,” Clint said, a bit shortly. 

_“Hi there, son.”_

“Oh, hi Doc.”

 _“Did I interrupt something?”_ Harley asked, a smile threatening to spill from his lips, knowing his son well enough to recognise when he was interrupting something which Clint thought important. Clint felt the heat creep up his neck, but remained silent. Harley chuckled knowingly. _“I just wanted to check whether you’d made it home safely.”_

“Yeah, we arrived…” Clint checked the clock on the wall, “…half an hour ago. We were just going to get supper.” 

_”Uhuh,”_ Harley agreed easily. _”Well, I’d better let you get back to it. Say ‘hi’ to Nancy, from both Dottie and me.”_

Nancy had heard most of the conversation, since she was so close to Clint, and replied loudly in the direction of the phone, “Thanks, Doc!”

Harley grinned. _”You’re quite welcome, Dear… And welcome to the family,”_ he added cheekily. Clint rolled his eyes, and Nancy blushed. With a deliberate tone, Clint spoke into the phone, “Bye, Doc,” before switching off the phone, breaking off the laughter coming from the object. 

Nancy giggled. “Well, that was fast.”

“Yeah,” Clint agreed, a bit annoyed at being found out so easily. He shrugged. Who cared anyway. Now, where were they?

* * *

Finally they had to admit, it was time to tell Beverly they were back. They agreed to get Chinese take-out, and while Clint walked over to the Jackson’s, to let them know had arrived, safe and sound, Nancy called her Dad to tell him they were home.

Mr. Nichol heard something in his daughter’s voice, and he ventured a tentative guess. 

_“Nancy? Did something happen during your trip to Montana?”_

She bit her lip. What was she supposed to tell him?

Her father shook his head, and said, _“Whoever the fellow is that got you so dazed, it’d better be Clint Cassidy.”_

Nancy looked at the phone in amazement, then realised the object wouldn’t look back, and put the horn back to her ear. “Dad!! What if it wasn’t Clint!” 

_“So it is Clint? You two woke up?”_

Were they really that obvious?? Nancy rolled her eyes, but then she grinned, remembering the kisses they had just shared. “Yeah, it’s Clint,” she replied, only half her mind on the conversation. 

_“Good.”_ Mr. Nichol smiled in satisfaction. _“So, did he propose yet?”_

That woke her up. “Dad! We only said we loved each other an hour ago!” 

_“So, plenty of time, right?”_ Mr. Nichol spluttered. 

“Really, Dad, you’re worse than a woman sometimes,” Nancy said. Her father’s voice turned softer with love. 

_“Well, you can’t blame me for wanting to see my daughter married to a man which I know will make you happy.”_ He liked Clint, and knew that he would treat his daughter with honour and love.

“Guess not. But, Dad… really, we need some time.”

Of course her father agreed. But he was pretty sure he knew what the outcome would be… even after ‘some time’. After exchanging some other pleasantries and stories, they hung up, just when Clint returned.

That night, after dinner, they had a serious conversation about their relationship. They knew they loved each other. But what did it mean for their future? 

“Clint,” Nancy began, “I want you to know that I’m serious about this, about us. I want it to go further than dating.” She paused for a moment. Sure, she knew exactly how much further she wanted it to go. But did Clint? She looked down at their entwined hands. “But I also don’t want to rush into anything, and later find out we don’t want the same.” 

“Nancy.” Clint waited till she looked up again, and continued. “I’m serious about us too. There’s nothing I’d want more than to marry you. I may have been slow on the uptake, but I know I’ve loved you for years. Remember with Richard Black?” 

Nancy nodded. How could she forget. She’d dated the guy who had turned out to be both fraudulent and manipulative. “Yes. We all said you just had something against Richard, and that that was the reason why you didn’t want Prima Trust to take over the clinic. And then you turned out to be right not to have trusted Richard.” She still felt ashamed over the way she had treated her friend during that time. They had talked, and Clint had forgiven her, but it wasn’t something she was proud of. 

“Yeah. Thing is, Doctor D even told me he thought my reluctance to accept that Richard was a good guy, had something to do with you dating him.” 

That brought a look of surprise to Nancy’s face. “I didn’t know he said that.” 

“He was right you know. Sure, I did have a bad feeling about Richard to begin with. But that feeling was only amplified knowing that there was something between you two.” 

For a moment, Nancy didn’t say anything. Well, she didn’t have to doubt about how serious Clint was about them. He continued. “But I know what you’re saying. We shouldn’t rush and maybe mess up somehow. I love you too much to want to lose you to something like that.” 

Nancy smiled, and pulled him closer. “Thank you. For knowing just what to say. Although that little speech almost convinced me to say, ‘forget about taking it slow’.” 

A smile spread on Clint’s face, as he hugged her close to him. 

“So, how about we take it easy for a while, see how we like seeing each other like this?”

Nancy nodded. “Sounds good. But let’s not wait too long. I mean, we’ve known each other for four years now, and to be honest, if you look at the many times we’ve done things together, you could say we’ve been ‘dating’ for a year or two.” They chuckled, and Clint agreed.

“So, what are we going to say to the others?” he asked. “They are coming over tomorrow evening, for New Year’s Eve.” 

Nancy pursed her lips. “Not sure. I’d love to shout from the rooftops that you’re mine,” she said with a mischievous smile, “but would it be selfish if I’d say I also want to keep it quiet for a little while?”

“Maybe a little,” Clint teased. “But it just happens to be the case that I don’t care whether the rest of the world knows whether I love you – as long as you know.” 

Nancy smiled suggestively. “Maybe you should tell me again…” 

“I’ll do better than that…” The kiss that followed took both their breaths away. When they looked at each other, a little dazed, Nancy took a breath, and said, “I think I got the message.” 

Clint laughed. The rest of the evening, they enjoyed the novelty of their newfound relationship, before going to their respective beds.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Friday, 31st of December, 2004** _

The morning and afternoon slipped by fast. Nancy had come over to Clint’s apartment for breakfast, before preparing together for the evening. They did the groceries, and when they were back home, they managed, in between some passionate kissing, to prepare snacks and the like. The others would also bring food and drinks, so Clint wouldn’t have had to worry about everything.

When they were done, they sagged onto the couch, and were soon sitting closely next to each other. The knock on the door caused Clint to stand up, and while he went to open the door, Nancy disappeared into the bathroom to make sure she was presentable. After all, they wanted to keep it quiet for a while. Although she wasn’t sure how they were going to manage to keep it quiet for an entire evening, let alone a few weeks!!

Walking into the room, she went to greet Derek and Nellie Hebert, and their daughter Gracie. Clint was holding the door open for doctor Oliver Crane and his wife Lynn; and Raul could already be heard on the stairs, so the Jackson family was on its way as well. Fifteen minutes later, Donna DeWitt, and Tippy and Steven Doss had also arrived, so the group was complete. 

Stories were shared about what people had done during Christmas, what mischief nephews and crazy uncles had been up to, and how the latter had successfully been evaded. When Nate heard that Nancy had received some riding lessons from Clint, his eyes widened. “Rather you than me! I’m not ever going near a horse again!” 

It was almost eleven-thirty, and somehow Nancy and Clint had managed to not give anything away. While they had still sat next to each other, Nancy had sat on the couch, next to Tippy, and the country doctor had sat on the chair next to the couch. It got harder though, since they had gotten used to sitting close to each other. When Nancy, for the umpteenth time, had to force her hand to remain on the couch instead of reaching for Clint’s hand, she felt Tippy’s look on her.

“There’s something about you tonight… if I can just put my finger on it…” Tippy murmured as she gazed at her friend. Donna, who sat on Tippy’s other side, heard Tippy’s comment, and looked up just in time to see Clint’s expression, before he hid it. 

She opened her mouth, closed it again, and reached out to take a sip of her wine. But her observant eyes closely watched the doctor and the nurse over the rim of her glass. When Clint leaned over to say something to Nancy, it hit her, and it was all she could do to stop a wide smile from erupting on her face. 

Tippy was still munching over it, even though Nancy tried to divert her attention. Her hand found the bracelet she’d been given by the man she loved, and she fiddled with it as her thoughts started to drift off to Clint. 

Suddenly Tippy exclaimed, “Oh!!” 

That brought Nancy’s attention back to the present. Everyone in the room fell silent and looked at the receptionist, who blushed at the attention. “Oh, oh my.” 

“Tippy, is something wrong?” her husband asked concerned. 

“Oh,” she blinked. “No, no, nothing is _wrong_! I’d say it’s finally right!!” Excitedly she looked at the blond-haired woman sitting next to her on the couch. 

“I am right… right?” she asked, suddenly uncertain. She looked at Donna, who nodded and allowed the smile to spread over her face. Clint caught Nancy’s eyes, and raised his eyebrows. Nancy sighed and nodded, and Clint spoke.

“So much for keeping it quiet.” Immediately all eyes were on him, wondering what had just happened. 

“Ehm, keeping what quiet, exactly?” Derek asked, clearly confused.

“Well, as you all know, Nancy and I went to visit my family back in Montana for Christmas, and… well, let’s just say we ehm… got together.”

“We’re officially dating,” Nancy said, a slight blush creeping up her face, but she turned to look at Clint, and their hands found each other. 

Gasps, whistles and squeals filled the air. 

“Sweet!” Raul exclaimed, punching the air in a claim of victory. Derek looked both baffled and pleased, and Nate and Steven smiled broadly. Even Oliver smiled slightly and applauded. Beverly, Donna and Tippy were quick to come over and give the couple a hug. Lynn came at a more sedate pace, but hugged them all the tighter. “I knew you two belonged together, from the first time I met you.” 

“You’re so going to owe me details,” Beverly whispered into Nancy’s ear. 

When Nellie Hebert looked at the two, she smiled, and said, “Seems I’ve lost my touch. It took four years for my matchmaking to take effect.” The couple grinned, remembering her early hints about both of them being single. 

Meanwhile, Nate, Steven and Derek had come over to hug Nancy, and clap Clint on the shoulder. 

“Congratulations, Country, you finally got your head out of the sand,” Nate said. Derek shook his head, and smiled. “I…I… I agree with Nate, you took your sweet time… but I’m glad you finally realised it too.” 

Gracie looked up at the couple, and tugged on their jeans. When she had the attention of both, she asked, “Are you going to get married?”

Nancy and Clint shared a look, then Nancy leaned down, and whispered conspiratorially, “Not quite yet, but we’ll let you know when we will, ok?”

The girl looked up in awe, and nodded. “Ok.” She skipped away again, to play with little Mattie.

When Oliver came over and shook the hands of both Clint and Nancy, he said, “Congratulations, doctor Cassidy, nurse Nichol. Of course I’ve always known you two would end up together, but please… don’t take your… affections with you to the clinic.”

“Like we did, Oliver?” Lynn asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief and joy. Immediately, Oliver looked appalled, and Lynn conceded. “Alright, it was only a kiss one or two times… or ten or eleven, I can’t quite remember. But they were quite passionate, I’ll tell you that!” 

“Lynn!” Everyone burst out laughing at Oliver’s reaction. 

Meanwhile, they were ten minutes further, and midnight was closing in. Everyone had started chatting again. Clint took Nate aside, and quietly discussed something. The police officer nodded, and Clint quickly went into his bedroom, reappearing mere moments afterwards. He walked through the room, to where Nancy and Tippy were talking. 

“Excuse me, ladies. Tippy, mind if I borrow Nancy for a while?”

Tippy blinked. “Ah, sure, but how does that work exactly, since I don’t own her?”

Clint’s eyes narrowed, and he smiled, waggling his finger. “Oh, no, this time I know you understood what I meant. I’ve heard you ask after this one before.” 

Tippy scrunched up her nose. “Hmm, must be the residual of our honeymoon which throws me off balance. Oh, not _our_ honeymoon, of course; I meant, the honeymoon of Steven and me.”

Nancy and Clint chuckled, shook their heads. Tippy smiled, and walked off to stand with her husband. 

“So, why did you need to ‘borrow’ me?” Nancy asked, a speculative look in her eyes, as she slid her arms around his waist. Clint chuckled, and brought his arms up around her shoulders, and started to slowly walk backwards. A quick kiss, and then he pulled gently through the door. Nancy’s eyebrow rose. “Clint, in case you haven’t noticed, we, I mean, you have guests.” 

_‘I’m already thinking of us as a couple. Well, we are, but. Oh, no ‘buts’. We are!’_ The thought brought a smile to her face. 

“All taken care of,” Clint said, ignoring her little slip, although inwardly he chuckled. He led her to the stairs, and pulled her along towards the roof. Once there, Nancy breathed in deeply, then let go, secretly grateful for a moment alone with the man she loved. Clint pulled a blanket from the large chest which Nate and he had put up there, since they both loved to sit on the roof, and the nights could unexpectedly turn cold. He handed the blanket to Nancy, and she draped it around her shoulders. 

“So, want to tell me what you’re up to now?” 

Clint nodded, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her slowly. Nancy’s mind went blank. She forgot that she was waiting for an answer, forgot they had guests, and forgot it was almost midnight, and she should watch the time. The kiss ended all too soon for her liking, and when Clint started talking, she was tempted to just ignore his words and kiss him herself. Clint seemed to read her mind, and he chuckled, shaking his head, before turning serious. 

“Nancy, I know we’ve said we won’t rush into anything, but I want you to know how serious I am about this, about you, about us.” 

Quietly, Nancy waited for him to continue, her eyes now focused on his. 

“I kind of had this bought before we went to Montana, but wasn’t sure when to give it to you. I think now would be appropriate…” His hand slipped into his pocket, and gave Nancy a small box. “It’s not a ring,” Clint warned, “although I do have every intention of asking you to marry me in the near future, but I hope you’ll like it anyway.” 

Nancy looked up at him, before even opening the box, and said, “Clint, you didn’t have to do this. I know you love me, and you’d better not wait _too_ long to have that chat with my father, _which_ ,” she said, holding up her finger to stop Clint from interrupting, “I know you will do, even if wild horses couldn’t stop me from accepting your proposal.” 

Clint gave her a lopsided grin. “You know me well, Nancy Nichol.” 

“Someone has to,” Nancy teased. Clint rolled his eyes, and then motioned with his head towards the small unopened box, Nancy still held. “Now would you open that, so we can get on with it?” he urged, causing a burst of laughter to escape from Nancy’s lips, but she did as he asked. 

“Oh, wow, Clint. This is beautiful!” 

It was a necklace, of the same design as the bracelet he’d given her for Christmas. Immediately, Nancy pulled Clint’s head down, and kissed him. 

“Guess you like it,” Clint breathed, when she let go. “I love it,” Nancy said, looking down at the object in her hand, before tilting her head back. “I love you.” 

“Love you too.”

“Alright, lovebirds,” a voice suddenly interrupted, and Nancy and Clint looked up. Nate walked onto the roof, wearing a goofy grin. Then the whole group of people filed out from the staircase onto the roof. At the couple’s questioning gaze, Nate shrugged, and said, “Well, you asked me to come and get you in case you got a little… hung up, before midnight, but then I thought, why not just come up here, and let everyone enjoy the night sky.” 

Beverly walked up from behind her husband, and handed Clint and Nancy their coats. “Don’t let him fool you, he really is a romantic…” She wrapped an arm around Nate’s waist, and smiled at him, before explaining to the other two, “He actually wanted to give you guys a few extra minutes, but didn’t want you to be late for midnight, so… here we are.” 

“Yeah, well…” Nate shrugged, feeling a tad embarrassed. Clint and Nancy smiled. “Thanks, Nate,” Clint said, his appreciation obvious through his voice. 

“You’re welcome Country. Now, if you’ll excuse us, if Raul’s frantic gestures are anything to go by, I’d say we’re mere seconds away from the new year.” 

He and Beverly walked towards their adopted son, and took Mattie from Tippy. Raul did a count down, watching his wristwatch carefully. “…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…Happy New Year!!!” 

At the same time, the church bells throughout New York sounded, and everyone started kissing each other, and wishing each other a good new year.

“Raul? Do we really have to kiss?” Gracie asked, distaste evident from her tone, and everyone laughed, as Raul blushed furiously. 

When wishes were exchanged, and couples had found each other again, Nancy leaned back against Clint’s chest, and together they looked up at the sky, where the twinkling stars were visible, although not as bright as they had seen in Montana. She sighed with contentment.

“You ok?” Clint whispered. 

“Yeah,” Nancy nodded satisfied. 

“Me too,” Clint replied, leaning his head on Nancy’s hair. “You know, I think this was the best Christmas I’ve had so far.”

Nancy shifted her head, so she could look up at Clint, and said, “I’d say we’ve gotten the best Christmas present we’ve ever had.” She thought for a moment, and amended, “Well, aside from the one the preacher talked about.” 

They grinned, shared another kiss, and started the new year together. 

**The End**


End file.
